HYDERABAD: When it comes to property tax collection by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), bill collectors rule the roost. Property tax payers alleged that the bill collectors have been swindling money and depositing 50 per cent of tax collected in to the GHMC’s account.
M.D. Saleem, a resident of RTC colony in Malkajgiri, in his representation to Deputy Mayor Baba Fasiuddin alleged that bill collectors in Circle 28 have been collecting three years’ penalty from the defaulters and depositing only a year’s amount into the GHMC account. He said that even though several representations were given to the civic body, the issue remains unresolved.
According to the official data, from 13 circles, Rs 1,200 crores could be collected totally per year, but in the financial year 2016-17 they only collected Rs 814.09 crores or 66.14 per cent of the property tax owed.
High-level sources in the Corporation claim that the ground-level staff have been swindling at least Rs 200 crores a year from these potential circles. They also claimed that if additional staff was deployed to enhance the property tax collection from the potential circles, the existing bill collectors take them to task and do not allow them to collect property tax.
Interestingly, the GHMC officials said that they found more irregularities in the assessment of properties, the property-tax of which was reduced from Rs 1,200 crores to Rs 101 crores prior to the GHMC polls.
An official said that the civic body has so far identified 1.5 lakh such properties. He also said that the Corporation would impose 100 per cent penalty on unauthorised constructions and was planning to collect 0.5 per cent tax on all vacant lands under the limits of GHMC.
GHMC has identified about 1.10 lakh commercial property owners who have been paying property- tax. A senior GHMC official said that the Corporation has been operating with very less staff.
The official said that the Corporation has no choice but to rely on bill collectors to get property tax. The officials also said that the Corpora-tion has been operating the revenue wing with unqualified staff.
